Whenever the lymphatic system of the body is shown on anatomy websites, it seems that the artists have invariably forgotten to draw in a lymphatic channel to drain the brain. That’s because nobody has ever found one. Researchers from the University of Virginia now report that they have seen one in the brain of a mouse, and evidence for one in a human.

Using new and specialized 3D printing technology, engineers were able to deposit a bio-friendly hydrogel into a classic cantilever design just 7 by 2 millimeters in size and seeded with heart cells from a rat. The cells grew into a matrix and began doing what heart cells do best – beating. By depositing the cells in a particular arrangement throughout the 3D structure, and coaxing them to grow in the desired ways, the beats eventually produced controlled forward movement. After a number of false starts and inferior designs, the researchers were able to build a biobot that moved consistently — albeit at only 236 micrometers per second, or 0.00053 miles per hour.

This site may earn affiliate commissions from the links on this page. Terms of use.

ExtremeTech Newsletter

Subscribe Today to get the latest ExtremeTech news delivered right to your inbox.